Hey Everyone!

Everyone does monthly favourites, weekly favourites, but how about the stuff that you keep on going back to time and time again? These are my favourite products that I can’t live without. I haven’t been able to find good substitutes in Singapore for them and I feel like they’re the best products I don’t mind going to the store again and again for them! Let’s start shall we?

#1 Daiso Sponge Detergent:

Getting a good brush cleaner is absolutely essential to making sure you have perfect make-up every time. Clumpy foundation on a dirty brush leaves you with streaks. I don’t know about you, but I remember how hard it was getting foundation off my brush – it just wouldn’t melt off with your standard counter brush cleaners. Now introducing you the Daiso sponge detergent! It’s 2 dollars and it’s all you need. Seriously, all you need. Foundation just bows down to the stuff and melts right off leaving your brushes looking absolutely clean and new! It’s the only brush cleaner I use and will use. How can you beat 2 bucks right?

#2 Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler 

You might think there’s no difference in finding a great eyelash curler, but you need to try the Shu Uemura Eyelash curler. I’ve tried a many curlers, but nothing else curls your lashes at the same angle and at the same time. It’s a complete curl that’s really hard to find.

Back when I started make-up, I was in search of a good eyelash curler. I simply typed “the best eyelash curler” and it came up with forum upon forum with one answer – the Shu Umeura Eyelash Curler. It’s  a worthy investment at just thirty sum dollars. It’s one of those must-have vanity and makeup kit basics – like having a pair of jeans!

 #3 Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede Lipstick – Finale

If you’re looking for a lipstick that does not budge or move throughout the day, then you need to get this. It literally dries on your lips and even when you drink water on a glass, it does not leave a lipstick mark at all! If you’re a vain pot, try kissing your hand and you’ll see that absolutely nothing transfers. It is amazing.

However a lot of people dismiss this lipstick for being clumpy or dry and it’s because you’ve layered the lipstick too much. So make sure you do two swipes back and forth or “coats” only and leave it to dry. Don’t purse your lips or move your lips too much in this period of time, but just like nail polish, when it’s dry, you can do whatever you want. It goes on super smooth but can feel drying later on. I guess it’s the price you pay for lip color that won’t budge. I usually wear this when I have a big event and I don’t want my make-up to move the whole day. It does the job.

 #4 Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Daily contouring is a must-do for me and it’s made really easy with the right bronzer. Some bronzers can be really orange or too glittery but I’ve found the perfect one and that is the Benefit Hoola Bronzer. It’s a matte bronzer that has a shadow to it so it is absolutely perfect for daily contouring. I love the texture of the powder too because it’s super smooth.

Just take some on your contouring brush and sweep onto the hollows of your cheek, temple and jaw line for a slimmer face. Take a small blending brush to contour your nose and run it along the sides of your nose. It’s the perfect shade of brown!

#5 M.A.C Technakohl Liner – Graphblack

I’ve sifted through the liners at your local Watsons and Guardian and I still can’t find a worthy liner for my waterline and tightline. There’s always something wrong with it and I find myself returning to the MAC Technakohl liner because it doesn’t move or slide as much as the other eyeliners I’ve tried.

Finding a good pencil liner is important to me because I’m always lining my tight line and water line so I have to make sure that it won’t make me look like Mr. Panda during the day. I love this liner because it’s the right hardness that can draw smooth lines, great black pigment and it’s automatic so I never have to sharpen it. It’s just easy.

#6 Bobbi Brown Stick Foundation

This is my all time favourite foundation. It’s hard to say that because I never knew I would make that statement someday but here it is. When I first laid eyes on the stick foundation, I was a bit skeptical. My classmates at make-up school were all for it but I didn’t know if it would be too thick. I tried it on though and it was love at first sight. The foundation melts into your skin making it look very natural.

And the coverage is so amazing. I just take a brush and then draw streaks of this on my face or you can go straight from the tube. Then, use a sponge to blend everything together. The foundation lasts a good amount of time and doesn’t look horrid in humid weather! So I love it for that reason. Plus it’s such good coverage and can double up as a concealer. I love that it is also super portable and I bring this wherever I go! I’m done with my second tube so I’m going on to my third. It’s a whopping $65 but worth it!

Hope you like this post and have a great weekend! Hop onto my online store to get styling and get giving: http://www.roseanne.sg and oops I forgot to mention my UDPP! Of course you would know by now watching my tutorials  it’s just about the only primer I use. I love it so much and it’s the best eye primer for sure!

Love,

Roseanne

Hey Everyone!

I get a lot of questions asking what should I get – natural or synthetic hair make-up brushes and the answer is, both. That’s because natural and synthetic hair is useful for different functions when it comes to applying make-up and both are essential to either your personal or professional make-up kit. Here’s the low down on both and what they’re great for.

1. Synthetic Hair Makeup Brushes

What is it? The bristles of the make-up brush is composed of hair that is synthetic and man-made. Often the hairs have a more smooth/slightly plastic feel to them. They are dyed to brown or a gradient brown and cream to white usually.

What can it do? Synthetic hair is great for cream and liquid products – including foundation, cream blush, gel liner and concealer. It is able to not absorb so much of the product and apply a smooth finish onto the skin without much streaking. The hairs tend to gravitate toward each other in applying the product instead of spread out so it can help apply liquid and cream well. For any cream and liquid product including lipsticks, use a synthetic brush. Synthetic hair can also be more precise and the brush can be cut sharper so eyeliner can be made very precise. You won’t get any fly aways with a synthetic brush.

Best synthetic brushes to get - Foundation brushes like the Sigma F80 is which is a synthetic kabuki, concealer brush, lip brush, eye liner brush

Avoid synthetic brushes that are used for – Powder, eye-shadow, blush and bronzer. Synthetic brushes do not pick up powder well.

2. Natural Hair Makeup Brushes 

What is it? The make-up brush is made of natural hair from an animal like a squirrel or goat. The hair is similar to our hair and is commonly soft and smooth and dyed black or white. Avoid getting straw feeling natural hair bristles that feel like they could poke you.

What can it do? Natural hair brushes are the best for powder products – powder blush, face powder, bronzer and eye-shadow included. When the hairs are applied with pressure, they have more texture than synthetic bristles and therefore pick up powder well and blending is made easier and more natural on the skin. You can’t blend as well with synthetic bristles because the bristles don’t move as freely as natural hair bristles do.

Best natural hair brushes to get - Eye-shadow brushes – MAC 217, blending brushes, paddle brushes. Also blush brushes like the MAC 116, contouring brushes and powder brushes.

Avoid natural hair brushes that are used for - Foundation, concealer, lips and eyeliner.

So there you have it! Hope you now know the difference :) Let me know if you have any blog requests below! Would love to hear them!

Love,

Roseanne

Hey Everyone!

We’ve all heard about the benefits of essential oils but usually our knowledge extends to what we can add to our lamp burner on a sunday night. Little do we know that there’s actually a difference between medicinal grade therapeutic oils and aromatherapy oils. Medicinal grade therapeutic oils like Absolute Essential go through an extensive and meticulous process so that it has medicinal uses and benefits. Aromatherapy oils (the stuff you put in your burner) usually does not go through this level of extraction and use cheaper, less integral ingredients that don’t really work.

Dr. Bob Hedgen, founder of New Zealand company Absolute Essential who has 20 years experience as a registered and practicing doctor with essential oils, talked us through how to use medicinal grade essential oils to help with almost any ailment – from baby problems to beauty and skincare. Her range of essential oils are all organic, certified and are made of uncompromised natural ingredients sourced globally.

So how do essential oils really work? Essential oils are absorbed through smell or skin contact to enter the blood stream. It is so effective because it enters the blood stream directly (instead of swallowing a pill – stomach –>intestines –> blood stream). In fact when you smell the essential oil, it goes straight to the brain and into the lungs while through the skin, it can enter the blood stream. There are so many ways to apply essential oils as long as you keep to your drops.

If you want to add it to your bath, you can drop 6 – 10 drops into milk first because water and oil do not mix. This can help relax you, raise your immunity and ease muscle aches. If you want to shower, use 3 – 5 drops on a wash cloth which is great for cellulite and if you have a headache, you can put 2-6 drops on a tissue and sniff during the day to help. In fact, oils travel so fast that Dr. Bob Hedgen suggests you apply it to your foot and you can smell and taste the essential oils in about 10 minutes as it travels up. For babies, this is a great way to treat them as they have sensitive skin.

There’s really a huge range of different herbs that can help you. However, Absolute Essential oils come in blends that use a number of different essential oils to benefit you. For example Head Ease helps to release painful tension and includes basil, lavender and marjoram french essential oils while Brain Powder helps you concentrate with basil, rosemary, bergamot and cardamon essential oils. It is also interesting to note that you can also train yourself with smell. For brain power, you would only apply it every time you need to study and then apply it during the test and you can see that you will be able to recall things even better.

So there we have it! If you have any questions let me know. Absolute Essential can be found at Supernature which is an organic superstore at 21 Orchard Boulevard £01-21/27 Park House, Singapore 248645 :)

Hope you liked this post! By the way my online store is now OFFICIALLY OPEN :) Check it out at www.roseanne.sg

Roseanne

Hey Everyone!

I don’t know about you but in the fast and busy pace of today, I’m always on the look-out for multi-taskers and as a make-up artist, it’s really important to find products that are multi-use so that we can save space in our kits, and save time. Here’s three products that you can use for multiple uses and are ever so handy on the go, travelling or if you’re just plain lazy. Tsk Tsk. Jokes.

1. Superhero Stick Foundations

Any foundation that you use can be “doubled up” to act as a concealer. What a concealer really is, is just product that has concentrated pigment, more concentrated than your foundation so that it can cover up more. So, if you apply your foundation and pat your foundation again on your blemish after, then you are actually concealing it. But, sometimes we need a little more coverage and that’s when stick foundations are fabulous products. Stick foundations should be warmed up first, scrape a little out and on the back of your hand use your finger to rub the product until it’s creamy. You can then apply the product as a foundation or you can use it as a concealer as well. Therefore, it’s a two in one! It’s great for travelling because you don’t need to pack two products, just need your handy stick foundation, and you’re good to go! I’ve been really liking the Bobbi Brown stick foundations because they’re creamy after warming up and blend nicely into the skin for a flawless finish.

2. The Almighty Lipstick

Lipsticks aren’t just for your lips, they can do a bunch of things. See lipsticks as cream products and you can just imagine what you can do with them. Use your finger to collect some on your fingertip, dab three dots on your cheek and blend with another clean finger for a quick blush on the go. I was doing make-up for darker skin tones the other day and to warm darker skin, you need a peach or red color corrector. Not having those on hand, I applied some red lipstick at the back of my hand and used a cream concealer to blend in with the red so that I got a nice warm peach and applied it to the face to even out the tones. It worked perfectly.

3. The Versatile Gel liner

Rumor has it that Bobbi Brown was the first to bring the gel liner to the market. She didn’t have any liner for a shoot one day and decided to grab her eyeliner brush to collect some mascara product to apply on the eyes. The product didn’t budge so she decided to put it in a pot (with a few extra ingredients of course) and call it the gel liner. Therefore, gel liners are really versatile. If you have a quick hand at smudging, simply take a bit of gel liner with your finger tip and smudge from the lid line upwards. Apply eye-shadow very quickly and you can be sure that your eye looks aren’t going anywhere. Sometimes when the model has already great curled lashes, and we can’t get the small roots of the hairs with a mascara wand, we can go ahead and apply a black gel liner to the roots as well!

So there you have it, three must have multi-use products to save time, space and a little extra mooh-lah.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know if you have any other multi-tasking product suggestions in the comments below!

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Love,

Roseanne

Hey Everyone!

I can’t believe it’s that time of year again! Bring out the christmas cookies, the tree from the attic and those dusty decorations. It’s time for the holidays! Who doesn’t love a good gift but even better getting the right gift for your loved one . Here are not only some gift giving solutions but a wish list of my own (not to say anyone is getting me anything :p) but who doesn’t love imagining what to get? Plus, I thought it would be fun to show you why and what I’m currently eyeing!

It was love at first sniff with the Philosophy Eternal Grace EDP. It reminded me of my first perfume I ever had which was from Zara. I don’t remember the name because it was that long ago, but it smells fresh, beautiful, light and flirty. It doesn’t have a floral smell but certainly not overwhelming. It also takes a while until the scent evaporates a little before smelling really good. I love it.

Make-Up school makes you want to buy everything. We have a guest make-up artist every day and they love telling us their favourite products. One that seems to be always popping up is this Make-Up Forever 12 Flash Color Cream Palette. It consists of 12 creams and apparently you can create any look with it by just mixing the creams together to get all the secondary colors you need. It would be great to add for the make-up kit as you always need multi-purpose products. Of course, who can forget the BarryM Dazzle Dusts. Pure pigment, but more affordable than getting it at MAC. I tried them at the drugstore and they are so pigmented (of course). You can do so many things with pigments like adding and mixing them  together into to clear nailpolish, mascara or lip gloss to achieve any shade.

One of my classmates brings the Bobbi Brown Organizer to school everyday and I’m always envious of how great for travel it is. Not only does it have a compartment for your brushes, it has mesh separate pockets in between, and everything zips up into a wonderful and compact bag. Brilliant for travelling. I’m always used to stuffing my brushes and make-up into different zip lock bags. It’s amazing how palettes can really save so much space in your make-up kit and with so many colors a make-up artist should provide for, you need compact palettes. One of the make-up artists who teaches at our school carries around the Bobbi Brown BBU Face palette. It retails for 185 pounds on the Bobbi Brown website and contains 11 shades of Corrector for extra dark circles, 14 shades of Creamy Concealer for average undereye darkness and and 20 shades of Foundation Stick. It’s a make-up artists dream (not to mention mine too). It’s so pricey though.

One of the hardest things to do for me is getting an accurate bold lip color on. It can be really hard. The liner has to be exact, you got to create the straight magazine looking lips and if you don’t have the right brush, it’s hard. I recently bought a Chanel lipstick for my sister and when we were at the store, the make-up artist used a slanted lip brush to apply her lipstick. It looked like you could do any lip with that brush but unfortunately the one he used wasn’t for sale. So I tried to look for dupes and the Shu Uemura lip brush in 7H is a good match. Not only is there a curved end for your cupids bow, you can make straight lines with the straight edge too.

Probably the most used eyeshadows at school are the M.A.C Shroom and M.A.C Charcoal Brown eyeshadows. They’re perfect for day looks. Shroom goes over the lid and charcoal brown goes in the outer corner. In fact, charcoal brown doubles up as a brow powder too. It’s like the universal perfect shade for basically all eye brows. Of course I’m currently on the look out for handy foundation palettes as well and I heard the Graftobian Warm Foundation Palettes are amazing. Because they’re cream, they can also double up as concealers. I like the number of shades that they have and it would be so handy to have in your kit. Last but not least, almost all photo shoots love that dewy look every now and then and when I tried the M.A.C Strobe Cream for it, I fell in love. It’s like a beautiful sheen on the face when you apply it as a primer before your foundation and it totally transforms the face to have such a pretty dewy glow. If you’re modelling jewellery, it comes in handy as well to just apply on the hands or arms for a beautiful sheen too.

But of course, enough of me, what about your gift ideas? I have to say that if your friend is a beginner at make-up, she will fall in love with the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette! I use this all the time (as you know in my tutorials) and it has fantastic shades and eye-shadows that she can use for daily wear. She can transform her day looks into night looks with the matte black too! I saw the Ciate Nails Advent Calendar online and I thought it was the COOLEST thing ever since I’m such a fan of advent calendars. I remember my Kindergarten teacher picking one of the class to open one date of the calendar and receive the surprise inside everyday of December until Christmas! Now Ciate (famous for the Caviar Nail Trend) has created the Ciate Nails Advent Calendar! How awesome right? Not only does each date until Christmas contain a nail polish, there are some nail polishes that are exclusive to the calendar itself. It would be such a great gift!

If your friend or family loves a good read, they’ll love the Bobbi Brown Make-Up Manual. I love this book, I loved it so much, my sister has one now. I love how it’s not like any other make-up book. This one really takes you into consideration, beautifully done, great models and teaches you so well. I love the all the pictures and the information and tips are invaluable. It doesn’t push Bobbi Brown products at all which I really like too.

The OCC lip tars are for your more party-ready loved ones. The OCC lip tars are great for ridiculously pigmented lips, stay on the whole night and are just beautiful one of a kind lip products. This OCC Lip Tars Pro Pick set is a great pick so that your friend can try a variety of shades. Any make-up artist would love it too!

I first saw the NARS Edie set here in the UK as NARS has launched an Andy Warhol collection and I love how versatile this set can be for day looks. Your friend would love this – first of all, great duo blush choice – Deep Throat (my favourite) and Amour, Edie Eyeshadow which doubles up as a highlight, eyeliner and neautral lip. What’s not to love? And, if your loved one is a fan of Monopoly like I am and a beauty holic, they’ll LOVE the Sephora Monopoly Game. How cool is this? I was so excited to see this at Sephora even though it’s not a new product because you’re basically mixing my favourite game with my favourite activity. Um, why yes I’d like to be the lipstick. And no, I wouldn’t mind going to jail for bad hair days at all.

So there we have it, my current holiday wish list and a few ideas to get for your loved ones! Get them soon, most of the online shops have Cyber Monday and Black Friday specials still going. I would get my Christmas gifts now if anything :)

Have fun shopping!

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Love,
Roseanne